The review will look at the responsibilities of food businesses and practices throughout the chain including auditing, testing, safety, food authenticity and health issues. It will also look at how vulnerable the food chain and food regulatory system is to being exploited for fraud.

Food Minister David Heath said: "Consumers have a right to expect that food is exactly what it says on the label.

"We are establishing a wide-ranging review to help restore consumer confidence by looking at our whole food system, identifying weaknesses and looking at what food businesses, regulators and Government are responsible for."

The scandal first began to unfold in January when it emerged that frozen burgers supplied to several supermarkets including Tesco contained horse DNA.

Investigations revealed other beef products sold by retailers including lasagne and spaghetti bolognese were contaminated while meals in schools and hospitals had to be withdrawn after it was found they contained horse meat.